On the 20th of September, DLA Piper announced the recipient of the firm’s inaugural DLA Piper Pro Bono LeadHer Award was the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) Afghan Support Committee, so very well lead by our very own Susan Glazebrook. Presented at the firm’s Global Women’s Leadership Summit in Chicago, the award recognises the committee for its extraordinary efforts on behalf of female judges fleeing Afghanistan.
For nearly 20 years, the IAWJ, an independent organisation made up of judges from around the world, has supported women judges of Afghanistan. After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the organisation established an Afghan Support Committee to help their more than 250 Afghan members, who faced grave danger following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. Since August 2021, the IAWJ has worked tirelessly to help these judges safely resettle.
DLA Piper worked alongside the committee and other law firms to coordinate legal services for more than 150 Afghan judges and their families fleeing persecution by the Taliban.
“It is an honor to bestow the inaugural LeadHer award to the IAWJ Afghan Support Committee,” said Lisa Dewey, US pro bono partner for DLA Piper. “The Afghan Support Committee embodies the essence of the award, and DLA Piper is proud to shine a spotlight on the incredible work done by this organisation.”
The IAWJ Afghan Support Committee includes: Hon. Susan Glazebrook (Supreme Court of New Zealand/Te Koti Mana Nui); Hon. Robyn Tupman (District Court of New South Wales, Australia); Hon. Vanessa Ruiz (Senior Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals); Hon. Patricia Whalen (former international judge, War Crimes Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina) Hon. Glòria Poyatos Matas (High Court of Canary Islands (Appellate Court, Labor)); Hon. Mona Lynch (Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Canada); Hon. Anisa Dhanji (Courts & Tribunals, UK).